Random Thoughts and Empty Theories

Last night the country tuned in and watched the President give his version of how the country stands in many different areas. Now whether you watched it or not, you should be concerned with where our nation stands. It seems that most people these days take advantage of just what we have here in the United States. It almost seems as though politics themselves have split this country in two. There are those who really get involved and make it a point to educate themselves as to what is going on in the world, and moreover here in the United States. Then it seems there is an alarming amount of people that haven’t the slightest clue as to what is going on. Let me remind you that you are a part of this Union, just as much as President George W. Bush himself. It doesn’t however take a political activist to know what the state of the union is. We all know it’s a little topsy-turvy at the moment. Who is to blame? You tell me. Most will put the blame on Bush, and in some area’s I will agree with you. In other cases it’s the entire nation as a whole. I don’t mean to sound like one of those pro voting adds that will start running very soon, but we all have a say in how this country is run. That is exactly what makes this country the greatest country on the planet. You may think your opinion doesn’t matter, but why not put it out there? Even if you don’t draw focus from those in office, or have any influence on the outcome of who takes office, you can still put your word out there. I thinking about ten people read this blog, but I’m getting to ten people. Ten people that before now, never knew my opinion on these issues.

As for the state of the union itself. I didn’t title this article as a comedic response to the way “W” carries himself during speeches, but because it’s hard to say at this point. . So he’s a little doofy, but who cares. He’s obviously more qualified then anyone else, that’s why he was VOTED in TWICE. He started out by saying that despite all the economic woes and the conflicts over seas, the union remains strong. That to me seems like a pretty bold statement, but it’s all in how you interpret this. You may think it’s completely bogus, and nothing but verbal reassurance to the American people. My interpretation is that in response to what is happening, we as a nation push on and refuse to accept defeat. The fact still remains, we are the strongest nation and no matter what happens we will strive to remain that way. He spoke of yet another huge tax reform that involves permanent tax cuts, would add 500,000 jobs, and add 100 billion dollars to the consumer market. It may just be me, but this always seems to be the solution to economic instability. It usually works, but is very shot term. I don’t think anyone in middle working class would be opposed to this, and I’m not sure why anyone would be apposed to this. There are however other criteria, of which I’m not familiar with, that justify such an act. This is one of those things that sounds really good, but in the back of our minds we know won’t happen. At least in it’s entirety. On the other hand, I really liked the idea of getting rid of 151 wasteful programs. We never think about it, but there is a lot of money going to these programs and in return they aren’t really productively using that money. I’m a big fan of this, because it appears they are starting to think outside the box a little. Not taking the usual actions.

One of the topics discussed that I didn’t really follow was the amount of troops in the Middle East. I may have heard it wrong, or interpreted it wrong, but he said that 21,500 Marines will be sent to support the war on terror, and the liberation mission. Then later he said 20,000 troops are coming home. To me this is a little contradictory, but I’m not totally sure. The war is, as we all know, getting a little out of hand. Many say they should just bring them home, and it’s not our war. Many think we shouldn’t have been over there in the first place, and the terror danger is just a “cover up” for another agenda. Put all that aside, because what’s done is done. The United States is in way to deep to just leave. It’s to the point now where if they leave, the mission is a complete failure. There would be no liberation, and the region would go right back to where it was. Furthermore, they would be really pissed as the US. We don’t want Call of Duty 4 in our backyard do we? Where the US sits as of now on the issue of the war has become way to convoluted for me to understand, as well as the majority of the American people. We’re all entitle to our opinion, but opinions are always better when it’s really yours and not your parties. In closing about the war on terror, he put the spotlight on all those that are aiding in the process. He obviously gave his blessing to the men and women of our armed forces, but he also put the spotlight on those of more civilian trades. You may think airport security is getting ridiculous, but they are doing their job for your safety. You have to support what they do. If you’ve made it to the security gate your fine. The plane is not going anywhere. Take your shoes off and shut up.

In the past few years, it’s been the big topic that energy consumption is too high and the fate of the world lies in our hand. The global warming idea is bogus as far as I’m concerned, but that’s another day. He discussed ho we will be able to cut gasoline consumption by 20% in ten years. What he calls the “Twenty in Ten” plan. To do this the US would endorse renewable energy and alternate fuels. The US would also cut car and truck emissions to the point of eliminating the load of 26 million vehicles. I don’t see this happening, especially in the time frame given. He said it himself last year, that we as Americans are oil hungry. It seems that the more scared we get about the environment, the bigger and hungrier our vehicles get. Cutting emissions is a much larger hurdle than just focusing on vehicles. He said we could resort to non-emission nuclear energy. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t nuclear power one of the biggest emissions we have?

One last big subjects, and has been a topic of concern as of late, is immigration. First, I like the phrase “catch and release”. Like we are bass fishing. “Hey Joe!! I got’s me a fighter!” Basically what he wants is to keep the illegals here, but make them pay a fine. I think this is a great way to handle it. That way we keep all the laborers that will do the things we don’t, and we get to stipend their pay to cover their fines. It’s a win win. Punish them, but keep them. I love it.

After hearing the State of the Union, and hearing the Democratic responseI kind of got to thinking that I really have no clue where I fit anymore. I guess IndependentSince the shit hit the fan in the past few years, it’s hard to remain a “member” of one party. I think the whole party thing is dumb, but I guess it helps in organizing the different perspectives. I don’t think I’m the only one either. Many people I talk to are on the fence, and share the views of either side. This has always been the case, but now I think it’s much more prevalentPeople just don’t know anymore, and maybe that’s the reason people are starting to lose interest. That’s why I say the State of the Union is…..